Yarn stretching device



1953 E. STONE Er AL YARN STRETCHING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 7, 1952 Eliot 5me, EJwu-J Jan s S zn-ke and gsgrh at-Cluck MulclaWhI-J Attorney Dec. 8, 1953 E. STONE EI'AL YARN STRETCHING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 7, 1952 e Inuth tor Patented Dec. 8, 1953 Patrick=Muldowney, London, England assignors to British Enka Limited, London, England, a

British company application July "-7 1' 952, Serial No. 297 ,46 6

-Glaims priority, application Great Britain July 28, 1951 7 *Glaims. 1

"The present invention relates to stretching devices for textile yarn andis especially, although not exclusively, applicable to the stretching or so-called ,pre-stretching of .rayon.

I he conventional yarn stretching machines usually apply a constant extension or a constant tension to a yarn. Thus those .cases where the yarn initially is itself of varying extensibility, as in the case of "pot spun rayon where the extensibility of the yarn increases from-the outer part of the cake inward-1y, this variation still persists after stretching. "One feature of the xpresentinvention consists passing the yarn through a given path from which it .is withdrawn at a speed related tobut [Higher than 'that at which the yarn is fed into said rpath whereby to stretch the yarn.

In most applications of the invention it will he necessary to .trea't the .yarn whilst passing through said-given ,pathso-as temporarily to alter the physical character of the yarn by swelling to increase its stretoha'bi'l'ity whereby to enable the yarn to be permanently or substantially per manen'tly strethed. This treatment may consist oi .a steaming treatment or .a moistening treatment or treatment "by moisture and heat whereby toreduce the swelling of theyarn.

A fur'the'r -feature of the invention consists in gradually varying the degree of stretch by gradually varying the relationship between the speed of the yarn on entering and leaving said path.

A .still further 'fea'ture 0i -the invention consists in gradually varying the degree of stretch as referred to above in dependence upon the incr'easin'g 'size o'f a package o'fyarn wound from saidipa'th or upon the diminishing size of a package or -ca'ke of yarn from which yarn is .drawn into said path.

A device according tothepresentinventionfor "applying stretch to textile -yarn embodies a yarn feeding iandwithdraw'ing means and spacedgu'ide means such as pulley wheels Whihin conjunction with said .y'arn "feeding and withdrawing means define a given path through which the yarn "can bep'assed in "a night, said feedin and withdrawing means consisting 'of "two freely rotatable stepped fgodets or r'dll'ers "arranged side by side so "that "on entering said .g'iven path the yarn can be "passed in loops around "the "godet steps '0: smaller "diameter and on "leaving said path it "can "be passed in loops =ar'mmnl the go (let "steps of larger to "cause the yarn "to be fed .into said path at 'a's'pee'd "lower than "that "at which "it is withdrawn :and thus to be stretched. a rure it "will be advisable to -inelud'e "in the said given path means such as "a steaming device or a moistening device or a moistening and heating "device for ftemporarilyalterin'g the physical character of th'eyarn as referred to above.

The godets "are preferably of the same diameter i. e."thir larger steps 'areof the same diameter and their smaller steps are of the same diameter, and the axes of the 'godets wnnst lying in a. common plane are preferably arranged at a small angle to one another to ensure automatic spacing o'fthe loops of yarnpassing"therearound. If desired the relative angularity "of "the gode't axes may be adjustable to enable the spacing of the yarn loops on 'theg'odets "to be adjusted.

It will be appreciated that by means of the presentinvention the degree of extension applied to the yarn can be accurately 'c'ontrolled'and will depend upon the difference in diameter between the large and small steps of theigo'clets.

The degree of extension applied to the yarn may be varied in a gradual and controlled manner by employing go'dets of which "the smaller steps are tapered in 'thesame axial directionfanfi by providing means for adjusting, in the axial direction of the g'ode'ts, the position atiwhichthe yarn is fed onto the smaller steps of the .rgo'de'ts. In this way the rate of feed ofthe jyarn into the said path can be varied whilst maintaining a constant speed or withdrawal of the yarn so that the degree of extension of the yarn 'isthereby varied.

wA .still .further feature of the invention consists in progressively varying the degree of extension applied to the yarn substantially in dependence upon the varying extensibility of the yarn itself.

Thus .in the treatment .of pot .spun rayon "the present invention enables the degree of extension applied to the yarn to be progressively increased as the yarn is drawn Qfrom a cake from the outside thereof. This is achieved according to the present invention by causing a guide .for leading the yarn onto the tapered steps ofgodets to be progressively moved axially of the tapered steps towards the narrower-end thereof in dependence upon the increasing diameter of arctating package whichdraws the yarn from "the godet steps of larger diameter. For this purpose the yarn guide may .be'loaded for movement in one direction as by means of a spring or weight or both and may be restrained from movement in that direction by means of a wedgeelement movable under the control of afeeler such as "a button guide "engaging "the surface of the retail- 55 ineyarn package which may be "formed pnthe cheese former of an ordinary coning or winding machine such for example as a Hobourn coning machine made in Great Britain or a coning machine made in U. S. A. by the Universal Winding Machine Company.

The invention includes combing or winding machines which include a device for applying stretch to the yarn as herein described.

The invention is further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a coning or winding machine with the invention applied there- Fig. 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic perspective view of the device of the present invention,

Fig. 3 is a side view of the godets to a larger scale, and

Fig. 4 illustrates a detail.

The drawings illustrate an arrangement suitable for applying a gradually increasing degree of extension to the yarn of a cake of pot-spun rayon.

In Fig. '1, a coning or winding machine I as made by the Universal Winding Machine Company in U. S. A. is shown in outline in relatively light lines. The cheese former 2, traverse head 3 and traverse frame 4, pivoted at 5, are part of the standard machine, the function of the traverse head 3 being to feed the yarn back and forth along the cheese former 2 as the cheese former rotates. The device of the present invention is applied to the coning machine I and embodies stepped godets E, l and fixed guide pulleys 8, 9 around which the yarn is passed through a substantially inextensible path which includes a steaming tube H! to which steam is fed by a steam connection II to escape at the ends of the tube.

Pot-spun rayon yarn I2 is drawn from a cake l3 and passes through a tension gate l4 (shown diagrammatically in Fig. 2) to the tapered smaller steps I5, it of the godets 6, l. The yarn is guided onto the steps [5, l6 by a yarn guide I! in the form of an eye at the upper end of the tension gate 14. The axial position of the yarn guide I! in relation to the godets is adjustable as will be hereinafter described.

After passing in loops several times around the steps l5, IS the yarn leaves the steps l5, It as indicated at i8 (Fig. 2) and passes over fixed guide pulley 9, upward through steaming tube 10, over fixed guide pulley 8, and from thence passes to the larger steps 29, 2| of the godets 6, 1. After passing several times around the larger steps 20, 2| the yarn passes as at 22 to the cheese former 2 on which it is wound into a cheese, being guided back and forth along the former 2 by button guide 23 which rests against the yarn on the cheese former 2 and reciprooates back and forth in known manner along the traverse head 3.

As shown in Fig. 3 the spindles 24, 25 of the godets 6, I are arranged at a slight angle to one another. This is to ensure that the loops of yarn passing around the godets will automatically space themselves from one another. The angularity of the spindle 25 relatively to the spindle 24 can be adjusted by raising or lowering the right hand end of spindle 25. In this way the spacing of the yarn loops on the godets can be adjusted.

The tension gate H is pivoted at 27 (Fig, 2) and is loaded by means of a weight 28 anda spring 29 for clockwise movement about its pivotal axis 21. Such clockwise movement is controlled by means of a wedge 30 which lies between the lower part of the tension gate I4 and a fixed post 3|. The wedge 30 is guided in a groove 32 formed in the lower part of the fixed post 3!. The wedge is pivoted at 33 to balance weight 34 of the traverse frame 4. The angularity of the traverse frame 4 is governed by the button guide 23 which engages the yarn wound on the cheese former 2 so that as more and more yarn is wound on the cheese former 2 the button guide 23 is gradually displaced by the increasing bulk of yarn on the cheese former to cause angular displacement of the traverse frame 4 in a clockwise direction whereby gradually to withdraw the wedge 30 to the left as viewed in Fig. 2 thereby allowing the tension gate M and the yarn guide I! to be gradually angularly displaced in a clockwise direction so as to move the yarn guide I axially of the godets towards the narrower end of the tapered steps l5, I6. Thus as the yarn is progressively withdrawn from the cake I3 and wound on the cheese former 2, the rate of feed of the yarn into the yarn path or circuit defined by the pulleys 8, 9 will be gradually reduced whilst the rate of withdrawal of the yarn therefrom will remain constant. Thus the degree of extension of the yarn will be gradually increased as more and more yarn of increasing extensibility is Withdrawn from the cake 13.

We claim:

1. A device for applying stretch to a textile yarn embodying means for winding the yarn onto a former, spool or the like, a feeler adapted to engage the yarn on the former and to be displaced as the diameter of the yarn on the former in.- creases, a feeding and withdrawing means and spaced guide means such as pulley wheels which in conjunction with said guide means define a given path through which the yarn can be passed in a bight, said feeding and withdrawing means consisting of two freely rotatable stepped godets or rollers arranged side by side of which the smaller godet steps are tapered in the same axial direction, and a guide for leading yarn onto the tapered godet steps which guide is adjustable in the axial direction of said'godets under the control of said feeler so that on entering said given path the yarn can be fed into said given path by the tapered godet steps at a speed which is an adjustable fraction of the speed at which'it is withdrawn by the larger godet steps whereby to be stretched to a variable extent in dependence upon the displacement of said feeler.

2. A device accordingto claim 1 embodying means arranged in said given path for temporarily altering the physical character of said yarn to enable the yarn to be substantially permanently stretched.

3. A device for applying stretch to a textile yarn embodying means for winding the yarn onto a former, spool or the like, a feeler adapted to engage the yarn on the former and to be displaced as the diameter of the yarn on the former increases, a feeding and withdrawing means and spaced guide means such as pulley wheels which in conjunction with said guide means define a given path through which the yarn can be passed in a bight, said feeding and withdrawing means consisting of two freely rotatable stepped godets or rollers arranged side by side of which the Smaller godet steps are tapered in the same axial direction, and a guide for leading yarn onto the tapered godet steps which guide is adjustable in the axial direction of said godets under thecontrol of said feeler so that on entering said given path the yarn can be fed into said given path by the tapered godet steps at a speed which is an adjustable fraction of the speed at which it is withdrawn by the larger godet steps whereby to be stretched to a variable extent in dependence upon the displacement of said feeler, and an open-ended tube enclosing a limited portion of the path of travel of the yarn and duct means leading to the tube near its lower end to enable a fluid such as steam to be fed to the tube for the purpose of temporarily changing the char acter of the yarn whereby to enable the yarn to be substantially permanently stretched.

4. In a machine for winding yarn including a rotatable receiver upon which the yarn is wound and a feeler which is displaceably mounted and biased for engagement with the yarn being wound on the receiver and to be displaced as the diameter of the yarn on the receiver is increased r:

during a winding operation, the combination'of a feeding and withdrawing means and spaced guide means such as pulley wheels which in con: junction with said guide means define a given path through which the yarn can be passed in a bight, said feeding and withdrawing means consisting of two freely rotatable stepped godets or rollers arranged side by side, the smaller steps of which godets are tapered in the same direction, and a yarn guide for leading the yarn onto the godet steps of smaller diameter, said guide being adjustable in the axial direction of said godets under the control of saidfeeler.

5. In a winding machine according to claim 4 an open-ended tube enclosing a limited portion of the path of travel of the yarn and duct means leading to the tube near its lower end to enable a fluid such as steam to be fed to the tube for the purpose of temporarily changing the character of the yarn whereby to enable the yarn to be substantially permanently stretched.

6. In a winding .wachine according to claim 4 a pivoted lever supporting said feeler, said lever being biased in a direction tending to keep the feeler in contact with the yarn on the receiver, a fixed abutment, a supporting means for said yarn guide pivotally mounted near to the fixed abutment, bias means tending to displace the support-e ing means towards said fixed abutment, and a tapered member disposed between the fixed abutment and the supporting means for controlling the position of the yarn guide said tapered member being connected to said pivoted lever supporting said feeler whereby to enable the feeler to control the position of the yarn guide in relation to the tapered godet steps.

7. A winding machine according to claim 6 in which the supporting means for the yarn guide embodies a tension gate on which the yarn guide is mounted.

ELIOT STONE.

EDWARD JAMES SPARKE. JOSEPH PATRICK MULDOWNEY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,271,854 Clarkson Feb. 3, 1942 2,279,479 Moncrieff et a1 Apr. 14, 1942 2,346,696 Moritz et a1. Apr. 18, 1944 2,364,467 Nickerson Dec. 5, 1944 2,584,779 Averns et a1. Feb. 5, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 244,571 Switzerland Apr. 16, 1947 586,105 Great Britain Mar. 6, 1947 

